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[Jeff Neiblum]

Does anyone else have an interesting story on how they got into the recording/mixing/audio business?

[Jeff Neiblum]

Hi Connor,
Excellent question. There are so many engineers and mixers out there who played an instrument before sliding behind a console or DAW. My first conscious recollection of an interest in machines was when I was in 7th grade. This was in 1965. A science teacher brought a very rudimentary ‘computer’ into class. It was simply an array of lights that displayed a number when you typed in that number on the keyboard. I was smitten and wanted to know how it worked. Fast forward to 1978. I was recording in the studio with the Bob Miles Band. At every break I would go into the control room and sit with the engineer at the console asking questions. Finally, he said why don’t you come in and assist. Four years later I had an opportunity to take him up on his offer. By this time, the engineer (and owner), Bobby Nathan, had grown Unique Recording into a very popular studio. He was still good on his offer and I joined the team. Incidentally, Unique was where I developed a fascination with computer programming thanks to Bobby buying us all a Commodore 64 computer for Christmas. I learned the Basic programming language which ultimately led to my 2nd career as a programmer.

[Connor Freff Cochran]

Howdy, Jeff.

As I’ve known you for a while, I’m excited to see this forum launch and grow. To that end I’m going to ask you (and anyone else who reads this) a question: how has where you STARTED musically informed your TRANSITION INTO, and EVOLUTION AS a recording engineer? I still vividly recall how me met, back in 1979, when I was looking for someone to teach the vocalist in a small band I’d joined to play some percussion parts live. You and I were both living in Brooklyn, and you had plastered drumming lesson flyers up in various places (“DRUMS ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF YOUR MUSIC” they proclaimed in bold caps). I called you and pretty soon had you playing on tracks I was working on, because you were an astonishingly good drummer. Not long after that you made the leap into studio engineering, and I have always wondered exactly what I just asked: i.e., how did that one very specific aspect of your musical training and experience inform and affect the broader task/discipline of recording in general? Please tell!

• This topic was modified 1 year ago by Connor Freff Cochran.

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